Latest Blogshttps://jewishfed.org/news/blog
enImpact Investing: If Not Now, When?https://jewishfed.org/news/blog/impact-investing-if-not-now-when
Friday, June 5, 2020 - 11:50By Jon Moskin [field_term_organization]node/52865Bay Area Jews in Solidarity with Black Liveshttps://jewishfed.org/news/blog/bay-area-jews-solidarity-black-lives
Tuesday, June 2, 2020 - 09:16By Danny Grossman [field_term_organization]node/52866Meet the Henkel-Forter Family of El Sobrantehttps://jewishfed.org/news/blog/meet-henkel-forter-family-el-sobrante
Tuesday, May 19, 2020 - 15:13By Liora Brosbe [field_term_organization]node/52811Kindness in Actionhttps://jewishfed.org/news/blog/kindness-action
This is an unprecedented time in our country and at home in the Bay Area. We are all struggling with the new reality of sheltering in place, trying to find work/family life balance, and scanning the news for any signs of hope. Now, more than ever, our community is stepping up for each other to extend a helping hand. PJ Library Bay Area has declared this month Mitzvah May in the hopes of bringing some kindness, love, and support to local seniors and families during this difficult time.
Friday, May 15, 2020 - 12:32By Vivien Braly [field_term_organization]node/52795Finding Inspiration in our Philanthropic Communityhttps://jewishfed.org/news/blog/finding-inspiration-our-philanthropic-community
Community is at the heart of Moses Libitzky’s philanthropy. His family history, longstanding commitment to the Jewish people, and business acumen all inform his approach to giving. A prominent East Bay philanthropist, Libitzky is a past president of The Jewish Community Foundation of the East Bay and has ties to many Jewish and non-Jewish causes.
Thursday, May 7, 2020 - 13:43By Jill McCleary [field_term_organization]node/52747Celebrate Israel at Homehttps://jewishfed.org/news/blog/celebrate-israel-home
Friday, April 24, 2020 - 17:11By Aliza Golshani [field_term_organization]node/52697Meet the Weisberg Family of Foster Cityhttps://jewishfed.org/news/blog/meet-weisberg-family-foster-city
Rick and Lei Wang Weisberg live in Foster City with their son Riley, three, and their daughter Alora, 18 months. Rick was raised in New Jersey, and Lei grew up without organized religion in China. The Weisberg’s enjoy maintaining a Jewish and Chinese American household and have felt extremely welcomed by their local Jewish community. Lei learns about Judaism along with their children and Rick continues to discover new roads in their family’s Jewish journey by living in an inclusively diverse community.Friday, April 24, 2020 - 15:04By Aliza Golshani [field_term_organization]node/52695Finding the Rainbow in the Stormhttps://jewishfed.org/news/blog/finding-rainbow-storm
Last month while sheltering in place, I looked out our window with my children to watch the rain wash through our neighborhood. After two brief, hard squalls, the sun came out and suddenly we saw a huge, vibrant rainbow. It wasn’t just any rainbow; it took up the whole sky. My kids just stared, marveling at its beauty.Monday, April 13, 2020 - 15:46By Debbie Berkowitz [field_term_organization]node/52664Creative Eats for Passoverhttps://jewishfed.org/news/blog/creative-eats-passover
Passover is one of the holiest festivals in the Jewish calendar. During the seder and throughout the eight-day holiday we rejoice in the miracle of our freedom. However, one area where we do not have complete freedom is in what we eat during Passover. Traditionally, those observing Passover will abstain from eating leavened foods (called chametz) during the holiday as commanded in the Torah. Instead, we eat Matzah. This cracker-like bread substitute represents the bread that did not have time to rise when the Jewish people fled Egypt.Tuesday, April 7, 2020 - 12:05By Aliza Golshani [field_term_organization]node/52660May No One Go Unseen: A Passover of Connectionhttps://jewishfed.org/news/blog/may-no-one-go-unseen-passover-connection
How will we – Jews, loved ones, and allies – observe Passover this year? During this plague of biblical proportions that has robbed us of our freedom to be together, how will we find meaning and belonging during our most communal of holidays?
Thursday, April 2, 2020 - 09:54By Wendy Verba [field_term_organization]node/52655Embracing a Different Shabbathttps://jewishfed.org/news/blog/embracing-different-shabbat
In our home, Shabbat meals are typically the only ones we can consistently count on having as a family. Now we are finding that every meal is a family meal! This leads us to ask, how can we make Shabbat special during this time when many of us are staying home and schools are indefinitely closed. What does “family time” look like after so much time in our homes? How do you celebrate Shabbat when gatherings with friends and community in homes and synagogues are on hold?
Tuesday, March 31, 2020 - 16:33By Liora Brosbe [field_term_organization]node/52645Meet the Meir-Levi Family of Palo Altohttps://jewishfed.org/news/blog/meet-meir-levi-family-palo-alto
Samara Meir-Levi, a single parent by choice, and her daughter Avira (Avi), 19 months, live in Palo Alto and love the Jewish community in the South Peninsula. Having grown up in the area, Samara is delighted that she gets to introduce Avi to her community through PJ Library books and events at local Jewish organizations.
Tuesday, March 31, 2020 - 12:14By Aliza Golshani [field_term_organization]node/52640Pre-Passover Personal Dessert Pizzashttps://jewishfed.org/news/blog/pre-passover-personal-dessert-pizzas
These personal dessert pizzas from Nosh and Nibble are delicious for children to make and eat for a pre-Passover yeast feast. Nosh and Nibble is a cooking and crafting show produced by kids for kids, a collaboration between PJ Library and Kosher.com. You can make these yummy treats now, or save the recipe to use after Passover.
Wednesday, March 25, 2020 - 12:24By Aliza Golshani [field_term_organization]node/52633Five Ways for Families to Learn About Passover Togetherhttps://jewishfed.org/news/blog/five-ways-families-learn-about-passover-together
Just as the seder night is like no other night, this year has been like no other year. We have had a lot of time to think, reflect, and feel grateful for our families, and while we have spent more time inside, the silver lining is that this gives us extra time to prepare for Passover.Tuesday, March 24, 2020 - 17:51By Aliza Golshani [field_term_organization]node/52631Building Connection in Disconnecting Timeshttps://jewishfed.org/news/blog/building-connection-disconnecting-times
Each day our reality changes. The news is urging us to stay away from each other when our tendency as Jews is to gather in crisis. We gain strength by being close, opening up, sharing rituals and taking care of those in need. Now, just when we need most to gather and find comfort together, we are driven further apart, and the best way to protect each other is through distance. The Jewish experiences we took for granted just two months ago now feel like an impossible dream.
Tuesday, March 17, 2020 - 14:20By Maia Tchetchik Sharir [field_term_organization]node/52622PJ Library Recipe of the Month: Persian Food for Purimhttps://jewishfed.org/news/blog/pj-library-recipe-month-persian-food-purim
March coincides with the Hebrew month of Adar, and during this month we celebrate Purim. The story behind this holiday took place over 2,000 years ago in Persia. There are many fun Purim traditions for families to partake in such as dressing up, sharing gift baskets (mishloach manot) with friends, and shaking groggers to make noise while we read the Book of Esther (megillah). Tuesday, February 25, 2020 - 11:49By Aliza Golshani [field_term_organization]node/52581Meet the Slovik Family of Lafayettehttps://jewishfed.org/news/blog/meet-slovik-family-lafayette
Elsa and Joshua Slovik, along with their children, Ethan (13), Theo (11), and Tom (5), live in Lafayette in Contra Costa County. The Sloviks bring Judaism into their home by celebrating Shabbat and other Jewish holidays as a family. Elsa and Joshua love raising their family in the Bay Area and are actively involved with several Jewish communal organizations.Friday, February 21, 2020 - 16:48By Aliza Golshani [field_term_organization]node/52575Tu B’Shevat: Planting Seeds for a Healthier Futurehttps://jewishfed.org/news/blog/tu-b%E2%80%99shevat-planting-seeds-healthier-future
The Jewish holiday of Tu B’Shevat is known as the birthday or New Year of the trees. We have often marked this holiday by planting trees, and while planting a tree is a wonderful, traditional way to celebrate Tu B’Shevat, for many of us the holiday has taken on broader significance as a time to work toward a healthier environment for ourselves and for future generations.Tuesday, February 4, 2020 - 10:48By Michael Chertok [field_term_organization]node/52504Meet the Lerner Family of Tiburonhttps://jewishfed.org/news/blog/meet-lerner-family-tiburon
Uma, George, and Audrey Lerner from Tiburon in Marin County love PJ Library and their local Jewish community!Friday, January 24, 2020 - 10:32By Aliza Golshani [field_term_organization]node/52458PJ Library Recipe of the Month: Winter Fruit Crisphttps://jewishfed.org/news/blog/pj-library-recipe-month-winter-fruit-crisp
Tu B’Shevat is considered the New Year (or birthday) of the Tree. This holiday encourages us to strengthen our connection to the environment, and as such, is often referred to as Jewish Arbor Day or Earth Day. In Israel, Tu B’Shevat arrives along with the first signs of spring, on the fifteenth (“tu”) day of the month of Shevat.
There are many ways that families can celebrate Tu B’Shevat, which starts the evening of February 9. Here are some of our favorite activities:Thursday, January 23, 2020 - 11:14By Aliza Golshani [field_term_organization]node/52455Philanthropy Tips &amp; Trickshttps://jewishfed.org/news/blog/philanthropy-tips-tricks
It’s a new year and we are all getting organized. That means your favorite nonprofits are doing the same thing. Here are a few tips &amp; tricks to help both your philanthropy and your favorite organizations run more smoothly this year.Tuesday, January 21, 2020 - 11:25By Debbie Berkowitz [field_term_organization]node/39565A Proud Mom Momenthttps://jewishfed.org/news/blog/proud-mom-moment
Tuesday, January 21, 2020 - 11:02By Julie Engel [field_term_organization]node/51932PJ Library Recipe of the Month: Sheet Pan Cod with Potatoes and Squash https://jewishfed.org/news/blog/pj-library-recipe-month-sheet-pan-cod-potatoes-and-squash
Each Friday evening, families around the world celebrate Shabbat. A beautiful erev Shabbat (Friday evening) ritual is lighting candles to “usher in” Shabbat and set it apart from the other days of the week. Immediately after lighting candles, special blessings are said over the wine or grape juice, challah, and in many families, over children as well.Monday, December 30, 2019 - 09:50By Aliza Golshani [field_term_organization]node/52356Meet the Inkabi Family of San Ramonhttps://jewishfed.org/news/blog/meet-inkabi-family-san-ramon
Katie and Kofi Inkabi are Bay Area natives. Katie grew up in San Jose and Kofi in Richmond. They now live in San Ramon with their daughter Millie (2.5). Katie is Jewish and Kofi is Catholic, and they have been delighted by ongoing opportunities for their family to be involved in Jewish life in their area and around the East Bay. Katie is particularly excited by the inclusive and diverse programming that welcomes both interfaith and interracial families.Monday, December 30, 2019 - 09:40By Aliza Golshani [field_term_organization]node/52355Transmitting Our Valueshttps://jewishfed.org/news/blog/transmitting-our-values
When we think about our children and grandchildren, we often think about what we will leave them when we are gone, be it a mug collection or a grandmother’s diamond ring. But messages about values are equally important to pass on. It is never easy to sit down and think about a world that we are no longer a part of, but ensuring that your loved ones learn your family history, stories, values, and philanthropic goals is a way to help you feel comfort in knowing that a piece of you will always be with them.Monday, December 23, 2019 - 17:06By Debbie Berkowitz [field_term_organization]node/39557East Bay Updatehttps://jewishfed.org/news/blog/east-bay-update
In July, the East Bay and San Francisco-based Federations officially joined together to become one unified organization. From what we’ve heard, the initial months of our integration have been extremely positive – and we still have more ground to cover. It’s important to us that we share our work and hear your feedback. In that spirit, I want to provide some brief snapshots of our work in the East Bay and some exciting news of what we seek to accomplish in 2020. Wednesday, December 18, 2019 - 12:00By Danny Grossman [field_term_organization]node/52331To Be Honored Is An Honorhttps://jewishfed.org/news/blog/be-honored-honor
Last May, members of our community gathered to award the Helen Diller Awards for Excellence in Jewish Education to three exceptional educators in the Bay Area. These awards are presented as a partnership between the Federation and the Helen Diller Family Foundation. The 2019 awards were presented to Jonathan Ferris (The Brandeis School of San Francisco), Daniel Schoen Schindelman (Wilderness Torah), and Frances Wittman-Rosenzweig (Congregation Emanu-El Preschool).Wednesday, December 4, 2019 - 09:14By Dena Stein [field_term_organization]node/52262PJ Library Recipe of the Month: Sufganiyot Doughnut Holeshttps://jewishfed.org/news/blog/pj-library-recipe-month-sufganiyot-doughnut-holes
With December quickly approaching, Chanukah is just around the corner! We often refer to this holiday as the ‘Festival of Lights’ because the menorah is the most commonly identified symbol of Chanukah. In Hebrew, Chanukah means “to dedicate,” because it celebrates the rededication of the Holy Temple by the Maccabees in the second century BCE.Tuesday, November 26, 2019 - 10:51By Aliza Golshani [field_term_organization]node/52292Meet the Novach Family of Santa Rosahttps://jewishfed.org/news/blog/meet-novach-family-santa-rosa
Nicole and Wayne Novach moved to the Bay Area from Washington, D.C. in 2012, and welcomed baby Hazel into their family in June 2018. They love spending time outdoors and showing Hazel the beauty of Sonoma County.Monday, November 25, 2019 - 15:55By Aliza Golshani [field_term_organization]node/52287Bringing the “Giving” to your Thanksgiving Tablehttps://jewishfed.org/news/blog/bringing-%E2%80%9Cgiving%E2%80%9D-your-thanksgiving-table
During Thanksgiving, we all want to focus on gratitude, and usually, this manifests in a quick pass around the table so that each guest can share what they are grateful for. To help make these discussions more meaningful, we’d like to offer some ideas for engaging your friends and family in a conversation about how their giving reflects their values.
Friday, November 1, 2019 - 15:00By Debbie Berkowitz [field_term_organization]node/52221